Celebrate The Gardens
There is nothing more rewarding than watching pollinators such as hummingbirds, butterflies and moths going about their important work in your own garden. The list of recommended plants for pollinators will of course vary for different parts of Colorado. Mountains, foothills and plains will all vary in their climatic conditions, soil quality, elevation and water availability. But here are some generally suitable plants that are grouped based on the flowering season. Always choose plants that bloom from early spring through summer and as late into the fall as possible to provide continual resources for pollinators.
Natives are best because they provide other wildlife benefits but we have found many other great pollinator plants to add to your garden and some of these are included here.
Early-Season
- Nodding onion – Allium cernuum
- Serviceberry – Amelanchier alnifolia – Shrub
- Winecups – Callirhoe involucrata
- Sulphur flower – Eriogonum umbellatum
- Wallflower – Erysimum spp.
- Prairie smoke – Geum triflorum
- Blue Flax – Linum lewisii
- Pasque flower – Pulsatilla patens
- Flowering fruit trees including apples, pear, cherries, peaches and plums
- Rocky Mountain penstemon – Penstemon strictus all penstemons are valuable plants
- Yarrow – Achillea millefolium
- Creeping Thyme – Thymus serpyllum (also woolly thyme)
Mid-Season
- Lead Plant – Amorpha canescens
- Asters (many native and cultivar options, check with local nursery)
- Pearly everlasting – Anaphalis margaritacea
- Showy milkweed – Asclepias speciosa
- Harebells – Campanula rotundifolia
- Blanket flower – Gaillardia aristata
- Salvia – Salvia nemorosa
- Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea
Late-Season
- Russian Sage – Perovskia atriplicifola
- Hummingbird plant – Zauschneria sp
- English Lavendar – Lavandula angustifola
- Blue Fortune Hyssop – Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’
- Rocky Mountain bee plant – Cleome serrulata
- Plains Coreopsis – Coreopsis tinctoria
- Common sunflower – Helianthus annuus
- Hairy False Goldenaster – Heterotheca villosa
- Goldenrod – Solidago
- Globe Mallow – Sphaeralcea
Most pollinators generally prefer sunny areas and large connected habitats. Planting a variety of species that bloom throughout the season ensures a continuous supply of nectar. Natives work well and provide other ecological benefits but many similar perennials are also extremely beneficial.
Visit the pollinator gardens at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens to gain ideas and inspiration.